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But I want to know. Does the relationship that Shimako and Noriko have show any yuri hints? Because a lot of people support that couple and some have their "yuri hopes" pinned on them. I did not bother really reading Noriko and Shimako's meeting because I hate Noriko, so can someone tell me?

I don't think anyone responded to this, but I think they show some yuri hints (I mean the whole show shows yuri hints ). Like all the others it can be interpreted as sisterly love, but it is love nonetheless. So did you watch Noriko and Shimako's meeting in the anime? I haven't read the actual novels but I think they're similar.

ShimakoNoriko is my OTP in Marimite so I have a very soft spot for them. I think they show yuri hints because Noriko provides companionship for Shimako after Sei left. Shimako needed someone to understand her Buddhist background besides Sei since she thought that she would be shunned if other people knew. Noriko is also in a similar situation and thus understands Shimako's "sin". Noriko herself felt that she was an outsider since she didn't want to go to a Catholic school in the first place thus she also feels like she is committing a "sin", but unlike Shimako, Noriko doesn't really care about what others think of her.

Well that's what I can think about their relationship so far. I never really understood how Sei and Shimako's relationship worked. All I know is that Shimako and Sei were too similar to each other and thus Shimako needed an outsider to guide her and accept her for who she is. Sei couldn't help Shimako because she didn't even know how to help herself although she is pretty good at helping others, like Yumi.

As for hating Noriko, it's probably because she's too boring for you or something, but I'm really fond of Noriko, not only because she's in my favorite pairing but because I feel that she is the most realistic out of the characters. She doesn't really have any unusual quirks about her or special qualities. She's stubborn, knows what she wants (which is to be with and protect Shimako) and she understands people more than she let's on (like Shimako and like how she knew that Sachiko only scolds people she cares about). She's actually pretty brave too, since she was one of the few who would even dare talk back to Sachiko. But all in all she's just a normal, down to earth, Buddha statue lovin' girl and that's what I love about her.

Sorry if any of this doesn't make any sense lol. I can't really express my thoughts into words. (Whoa long post from me , but I guess this is what they call fangirlism )

As for Shimako and Sei, nope, their relationship doesn't really seem complicated, it's just that no one has 100% dissected what it is exactly they are in too.. (The answer is always simple, people just make things complicated.)

Sei, after Shiori incident, didn't want to lean on or depend on anyone.. I remember her line goes something like this, "I never want to be with anyone too emotionally."

I also remember her saying, "Shiori was an angel, Shimako is only human.."

Shimako, having no clue at first if she is a burden to Sei or so, just wanted to be near her.. We all know Youko told Sei, "She resembles you" I think kinda made Sei think of their weakness and she somehow acted on it.

Sei, being kind of a space away from Shimako, is only proof that she doesn't want what happened to happen again..

Spoiler for Sei and Noriko's meeting:

Spoiler for I warned you:

Noriko seems to know Sei was watching Shimako all along..

How do I put this properly? (Sorry, my head is wondering somewhere but I wanna type this too, lol) Once you were hurt deeply, you're kinda scared to do it again, so you kinda put in a barrier to the new person dear to you so you wouldn't get hurt again.. And I think Sei knew too well that Shimako might depend on her a lot, which will probably be bad (yes it IS bad..) and besides, Shimako entered Lilian to become a nun, just like Shiori, so that maybe one of the underlying reasons as well.

Why is being dependent on each other bad? Because, again, a relationship should be about two whole individuals looking for a complimentarynot a supplementary. You cannot EVER expect ANYONE to complete you.. (Look what happened to Yumi at Rainy Blue)

And that is why Yoshino and Rei are practicing to be independent from each other..

As for Shimako's psychology, at first she was copying Sei, getting Noriko (first student to appear in front of the Cherry Tree) to like her, and so on so forth. (plus what Crazyhorse posted, lol.. See? It's helpful!)

Again, I remember what Tsutako said to Shimako: (Not exacted words)
Tsutako: You're getting stuck in the same maze as Sei
Shimako: Oh sorry, I must've been tackless.
Tsutako: You know, there are no definite asnwers in relationships, like in exams.. Though don't you think it's better to improvise than to copy?
Shimako: Why do I get the feeling that you can read me?

Ah thanks Stephanie for the comment and for enlightening me on Sei and Shimako's relationship. I completely forgot about Shimako being similar to Shiori by wanting to become a nun. It's llike everything you said was lodged somewhere within my deep subconcious because it seems as though I thought about it before....lol but anyway thanks again!

Quote:

Again, I remember what Tsutako said to Shimako: (Not exacted words)
Tsutako: You're getting stuck in the same maze as Sei
Shimako: Oh sorry, I must've been tackless.
Tsutako: You know, there are no definite asnwers in relationships, like in exams.. Though don't you think it's better to improvise than to copy?
Shimako: Why do I get the feeling that you can read me?

Yeah, Noriko IS too boring for me. No, I missed their meeting in the anime, and I don't wanna see anyway. XD

lol Nice dissection, Steph..I'm gonna check out Noriko and Sei's meeting. I read it before already, but not recently, so I can't remember much...

I never really tried to go too deep into Sei and Shimako's relationship. As Yumi said time and time again, their relationship cannot be explained in a single world/sentence. I just love watching them. They are my fave relationship, then YoukoxSachiko and YumixKanako. ^^ I also love ErikoxRei because I can't understand that one, it's worse than SeixShimako. Wanna try dissecting ErikoxRei, Steph?

Eh I think you should still watch their meeting. I mean how can you truly dislike a character when you haven't even watched/read the parts of the story that show most of her character development....

Mind you, I'm not saying this because I support her, but because I think that it's quite unfair for you to dislike her when you didn't really get to know her. Judging a book by its cover no? And besides what's this I remember you saying?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Confessa

Yeah..Marimite has such a flowing storyline, and such deep relationships. Really, I wonder how they've managed to keep the story so interesting when it's just about... well, friendship.

But Marimite is losing my interest in another way...I cant read the novels, and I've watched everything there is to watch...There's nothing for me to do with it anymore. Of course, the loss in interest can also be attributed to Friday Night Lights and Heroes, but hey...let's keep it Marimite. XD

Eriko and Rei? Well, not much has been said in the anime, and I haven't read far into the novels (I don't like too much spoilers, lol >.< )

All I know is, Eriko is the kind of person to get bored quickly because she can tell what will happen before it happened.. (That's why she choose the elephant man, because he is soo unpredictable! As she describe, that is..)

Eriko choose Rei because she was like a bishonen (pretty boy) and pretty much stand out, so I guess she wanted to have fun.. (I said "I GUESS", no one really said why on earth she choose Rei and what's their story)

Anyway, Confessa, I agree with CrazyHorse, you should watch the anime..
Go to www.animesuki.com and look for it's torrent.. Oh wait, I forgot, you can't download... Aww.. lol

@Farr-san
Hmm, I think Youko was interested in Sei at first, but it seems Sei doesn't like her (meddler!).. n_n
(Remember the scene when they were reminiscing before they graduate? She said she finds Sei 'interesting')

I'm biased as a Sei/Youko fan, but I don't think Sei doesn't like Youko. I think Sei realises that Youko is able- perhaps more than many of the characters- to understand her thoughts and behaviour, and Sei finds this somewhat unnerving as an emotionally reserved and guarded person. It's complicated, but I think their occasional run-ins and disagreements are more a product of their closeness than any animosity or dislike. Throughout most of the first two series I think Sei appeared to regard Youko as one of, if not the closest of her friends in the Yamayurikai. Unless you meant Sei doesn't 'like' her in that sense, lol ^^. I also think that Youko is infatuated with Sei but knows her feelings will never be returned, so instead she tries to reach Sei through advice and support. Sei/Youko is the first pairing that comes to mind when I think of unrequited love in Marimite.

Ehh, I never really saw how people saw Sei and Youko as a pairing. I have nothing against it, but even after I heard the of the fandom and was watching the anime with that pairing in my mind, I just couldn't see the signs of how they could be a couple. All I saw was Youko being concerned after Shiori left Sei, but that was just friendship to me. Anyone care to explain?

Nope. Call me stubborn, but I'll never like Noriko. (~.^.stubborn little girl, huh?) Besides, I kinda breezed through their meeting in Okazu, so that's that. XD

But I wanna read the Noriko-Sei meeting. Where did you get it Stephanie? Is it the Geocities site? Because though the meeting is kinda summarized there, I can't get the part where she thinks Sei has been watching Shimako all along.

As for the Eriko-Rei relationship, I can get why Eriko chose Rei. But I don't get why Rei accepted Eriko's offer or why she, well, likes Eriko. They don't seem to have much of a bond. I know Yoshino is jealous, too, but why? I read somewhere that it's because Rei has to listen to Eriko because of Eriko is her grande seour, but another source said that she's jealous of the bond that Eriko and Rei share. And frankly, there seems to be no bond to me...

Oh, and where in the world is it hinted that Youko might have had feelings for Sei? I know she tries to help Sei, but I always looked at that as a friend caring a lot for her friend. But even if the feelings were there, and Sei didn't reciprocate, I agree, Sei probably viewed her as a very close friend...unwillingly of course. Because Youko knows so much about Sei; the Sei-Shimako-first-meeting arc showed that. Youko knew exactly what Sei was feeling and what Sei would probably do.

Oh, and reading through the previous posts, this is what Sei's oneesame (I love her!! Who else does?) said: "Listen. You're the sort of person who's easily sucked into things, so if you find something that's important to you, make sure to take a step back from it." No wonder Sei always kept a distance from Shimako.

There's a line where Sei thinks: In the Rose Mansion, abandoned but for the two of us, Onee-sama's words seeped into my chest. I was reminded anew of Onee-sama's belief that I was a person worthy of taking on the mantle of Rosa Gigantea. But I felt like even once I became a third-year, I wouldn't be able to comfort others with kind words the way Onee-sama did.

My heart always feels heavy for some reason there because we all know that Sei could and did comfort someone with kind words a year on. I don't know why I always tear up there.

I love getting into Sei's head. Her thoughts are like poetry, they flow a lot.

Wow, long post. But I really wanted to get all of that out of my system.

@Sarah
No, I meant Sei finds Youko a closefriend of course! n_n
She just gets annoyed cause Youko's such a meddler!

@Crazyhorse
They seem really close, I don't even know if Youko likes Sei, well you know.. in another way.. (The reason I believe so, was because I remember the time Shizuka got a kiss from Sei >.<)

And Youko seems always concerned about Sei, and stuff so many people hope for YoukoxSei because Youko's really a good person and Sei is such a flirt and so on..

@Confessa
For me, (And I mean in MY opinion) Sei isn't really poetic.. @_@
It's just that, she feels she's always in the way, or she'll just burden people..

Remember when Shimako went to the Yamayurikai and Sei asked why she wanted to be like a 'maid' or something, Shimako said something like, "As long as I can be of help, I am willing to help.." And Sei was like, "She's not like me, she IS me..."

Because Sei became rosa gigantea because her grande soeur needed her face to go through, so she agreed, other soeur's reasons were vague to her because she didn't want to be an anchor to anyone..

And, aww.. You don't like Noriko?

She's really nice, and before you give that thought, you should watch the anime or read the manga/novel. She really helped Shimako a lot, and I like her because she speaks her mind..

Or maybe you hate her (like many dislike Yumi) because she's stealing Shimako away?

@Sarah
No, I meant Sei finds Youko a closefriend of course! n_n
She just gets annoyed cause Youko's such a meddler!

@Crazyhorse
They seem really close, I don't even know if Youko likes Sei, well you know.. in another way.. (The reason I believe so, was because I remember the time Shizuka got a kiss from Sei >.<)

And Youko seems always concerned about Sei, and stuff so many people hope for YoukoxSei because Youko's really a good person and Sei is such a flirt and so on..

What does Shizuka's kiss from Sei show about Youko? Did I miss something or forget something? But anyway even if it isn't Youko, Sei really can be paired up with anyone; she's so flexible. I personally want to see something done with SeiXEriko . Gajin vs Dekochin .

Quote:

And, aww.. You don't like Noriko?

She's really nice, and before you give that thought, you should watch the anime or read the manga/novel. She really helped Shimako a lot, and I like her because she speaks her mind..

Or maybe you hate her (like many dislike Yumi) because she's stealing Shimako away?

Cute pic of Noriko

Dislike Yumi for stealing who away?

Ah lol SeiXShimako used to be my favorite pairing. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about Noriko from Wiki being Shimako's souer, but now I just love them together . I wanna read some fanfiction of them as the main pairing, but I've barely found any .

Ehh, I never really saw how people saw Sei and Youko as a pairing. I have nothing against it, but even after I heard the of the fandom and was watching the anime with that pairing in my mind, I just couldn't see the signs of how they could be a couple. All I saw was Youko being concerned after Shiori left Sei, but that was just friendship to me. Anyone care to explain?

Well, like most of the pairings in Marimite it's suggested mainly through subtext.
For example, Youko told Sei in their first encounter that the reason she approached Sei was that she 'became interested' in her. You could interpret this in a variety of ways, but I think Youko's intensity just personally gave me the vibe of there being more to this scene than met the eye. It reminded me a little of Shizuka's confession to Sei in the first series (which is, for me, the only other example of undeniable yuri in the series besides Sei/Shiori).
As everyone's pointed out, there's nothing completely concrete to suggest any underlying romantic elements in their relationship, but the same can be said of most aspects of the series; the subtext is there (the animators certainly want you to notice something), but whether you read into it or develop it is entirely up to you (and, also to some extent, on how much of a yuri fangirl/boy you are ). The subtlety of this series never fails to amaze me.

As for other unconventional/non-soeur pairings, I would have to second crazyhorse on Sei/Eriko. ;D
I'm also a fan of Sachiko/Rei (though I love Sachiko/Yumi and it pains me to think of either of those two with anyone but each other) and Shizuka/Shimako.

Ah the subtlety....you just gotta love it for all the possibilities, but hate it for never being able to confirm any of those possibilities.

Sei/Eriko would be fun to see. They're both a bit crazy and weird . The thing that made me like them as a pairing was their flashback scene as children. I have a soft spot for those enemies turned friends *coughloverscough* storylines.

I can't see Sachiko and Rei together. I really can't see Sachiko with anyone else besides Yumi, but I can see Yumi with Touko especially from what I've been hearing from the novels.

Shimako/Shizuka was very interesting to me. Before Noriko came along, I liked this pairing and wanted to find more pics/fics about them, but I only found the one on fanfiction.net. Funny thing is I would read a fic about them as a pairing if I find another one even though I'm practically a Shimako/Noriko worshipper. As much as I love Sei, it bothers me to see her coupled with Shimako. I guess it's because I know she has the highest chance to take Shimako away from Noriko

I read almost all of the posts while I was at work and while driving home, I was thinking about my response. Hopefully it comes out right .

To be honest, I've watched the OVA's numerous times this weekend...more like studying the episodes haha. Anyways, as for my opinion on Yumi and Sachiko, the others will follow later.

I wouldn't go as far as saying Yumi and Sachiko are together but it seems that it could really head that way. I really think their relationship is very well developed over the course of time. I am probably over-analying, but I can't help it. :P I think it was pretty evident during the OVA's that Sachiko feels deeply for Yumi and vise-versa. Will they act on it? Hopefully. Yes, Sachiko is very proper however she is definitely getting bolder in her actions and her feelings. I really wouldn't categorize their feelings as "sisterly-love". If any episode were to reveal the nature of their feelings, it's definitely OVA 3. Yes, I am completely aware that it's a different cultural setting, but the scene with them together in the greenhouse was definitely a significant turning point in their relationship...err in how I view it. Sachiko's light touches to her hair, face and shoulder was pretty intimate, not only that but she's saying how much she loves her. In my personal experience, I've never said that to my sister or best friends in that manor, only to my wife.

I'll also back track to the 1st OVA as someone mentioned before, the scene where Yumi goes to wake Sachiko up. She stares at her, not just her face, but her lips and hands; when Sachiko starts to undress, Yumi stares. Again, probably out of shock but her reaction is beyond an "oops I'm sorry".

At first I really would have seen their relationship as a sisterly bond but it's really developed beyond that. I have to say they are in love with eachother, romantically and intimately. I don't know if we'll see them explore the intimacy though, one can hope. It seems to be developing in steps. First step for those two is to develop as sœurs. The two became friends and they started to break down the barriers. The trust and protectiveness followed shortly, but it took time. We obviously cannot see everything in 13 episodes a season.

To cut off my rambling I think that these two feel a very deep love for eachother. Who knows if we'll see it. A lot of it could be fanservice, but I highly doubt it. They're not as cruel as Mai Hime/Otome, lol. They do not have to kiss or have sex to convince me of their feelings (not saying I wouldn't mind). I know the 4th season is going to probably make me tear up like crazy.